CHAPTER 84 - 84: CONSECUTIVE RANK UP, SHOCKING EVERYONE!

Listening to Loki screech in his ear, Ryota's face twitched into a deadpan stare.

What the hell is going on in their heads?

At this point, he honestly didn't even know what tone to use to explain the sheer absurdity of everyone's train of thought.

He was just about to clarify that the "bird" he mentioned wasn't that kind of bird, when suddenly, two familiar footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway.

Everyone turned their heads.

Ais and Lefiya walked in, one after the other.

The moment they appeared, a subtle but unmistakable pressure radiated from their bodies—something that all the battle-hardened veterans in the room instantly noticed.

That wasn't just the result of training.

That was the unmistakable sensation of a level-up. A literal leap in tier.

Especially Lefiya—she'd been stuck at Level 3 for ages.

She'd joined expeditions, crawled through the Dungeon, trained relentlessly... yet somehow, just one trip down today and she comes back breaking through?

Who would believe that?

Everyone instinctively turned their gazes toward Ryota, eyes locked on him like a pack of predators.

It was as if the moment he said, "I have no idea," they'd tie him to a chair and interrogate him on the spot.

Ryota glanced at the stares piercing him like x-rays, his mouth twitching slightly. He didn't speak right away.

To be fair, he was a bit confused too.

But not completely clueless.

In this world, Excelia—the deeds that fuel growth—are the core of level advancement.

It's often described as an ambiguous, almost abstract concept of achievement.

But at its core, it's basically experience points.

Except this isn't about killing a certain number of monsters. It's about pushing beyond your limits.

In Orario, the most common examples are blacksmiths forging weapons that exceed their current skill, or Supporters leading parties into floors they have no business visiting.

Even just surviving one minute in a fight where the gap in strength is huge can become the trigger for growth.

In short, Excelia is a mental and physical breakthrough born from challenging one's own limits.

So what did Ais and Lefiya actually do today?

They didn't deal any damage. They didn't land any finishing blows.

But—

Who were they facing?

The Third Kazekage.

Sure, it was technically a puppet, but Ryota knew better than anyone—that thing was absolutely Kage-level.

With Magnet Style: Iron Sand, massive tactical suppression capabilities, and the ability to fight multiple opponents at once, the Third Kazekage was one of Ryota's trump cards—essentially a one-man portable battlefield.

And let's not forget Ajisai's summoned beasts.

Put all that together, and these two girls had just undergone a mental and physical pressure test unlike anything they'd ever experienced.

They weren't fighting the Kazekage.

They were fighting their own limits.

But does that mean anyone in the Familia could just spar with the Kazekage and immediately level up?

Ryota didn't think so.

Both Ais and Lefiya had already been stuck at their bottlenecks for a long time.

Their Excelia was nearly maxed out. They just needed a final trigger.

It was a combination of factors, a perfect storm of timing and opportunity, that let them break through today.

So really, saying it was "sudden" wasn't quite accurate.

With this realization, Ryota understood.

He was just about to explain all this properly when—

"Hold on a second!"

Loki cut him off again, squinting at him with those mischievous eyes.

"So if Miss Ais and Lefiya leveled up under your guidance, doesn't that mean..."

Her voice dropped, eyes narrowing like a cat about to pounce.

"...you can level up too?"

"...?"

Ryota's face froze, mouth twitching like he'd just misheard.

Wasn't that topic shift a little too fast?

Not that Loki's curiosity was strange.

After all, it had taken Ryota less than a month to go from Level 1 to Level 2.

He'd defeated Ottar—the so-called strongest in Orario, a Level 7—in the War Game.

Then, in the Dungeon, he'd killed a Goliath right in front of Ais and Lefiya, using only a puppet.

These weren't just minor achievements you could casually brush off.

In DanMachi's Falna system, every battle, every breakthrough, every action that defies logic converts into Excelia.

And knowing Loki's keen yet totally irreverent perspective, she probably figured Ryota's Excelia count was already about to explode.

So the moment she brought it up, everyone else's attention immediately shifted gears.

Finn smiled knowingly, crossing his arms and speaking in a soft tone.

"We're all friends here."

"Ryota, why don't you strip down—let Loki check it out?"

The room's atmosphere instantly lit up like wildfire.

"Come on, Ryota!"

"Don't be shy! It's not like we haven't seen it before!"

"Tch, newbie, stop acting so coy!"

"..."

Even Ais tilted her head, golden eyes shining with open curiosity and a hint of excitement.

"Ryota's level-up... looking forward to it."

Ryota let out a long sigh, his face somewhere between resignation and full-on giving up.

Back when he first joined the Loki Familia, he'd already experienced updating his Status in front of everyone.

Now it was happening again—and this time they were even more fired up about it.

But in the end, he didn't refuse.

They were all his people, after all.

And honestly, he hadn't updated his Falna in a while. He was a little curious too.

Soon, the group made a dramatic procession down from the second floor, gathering in a half-circle around the first-floor lounge at Twilight Manor.

Ryota lay on the sofa, exposing his back, waiting for Loki to begin the ritual.

"Hehe, I've been looking forward to this!"

Loki rubbed her hands together like a scheming fly, then took the silver needle Lefiya handed her and pricked her fingertip.

Plop.

A drop of divine blood fell onto Ryota's back and spread quickly.

Light flashed. Loki leaned in to take a look, clicking her tongue.

"Last time you were still at C, right? Hasn't even been that many days..."

She mumbled as she scribbled furiously with a feather pen, recording everything onto parchment.

A moment later, Ryota's "report card" was complete:

[Name]: Ryota

[Level]: LV.2

[Status]:

· Strength: C777 → SSS1999

· Endurance: C777 → SSS1999

· Dexterity: C777 → SSS1999

· Agility: C777 → SSS1999

· Magic: C777 → SSS1999

[Development Abilities]: Mystery H → Mystery G

[Magic]: (Omitted)

[Skills]: (Omitted)

Everyone leaned in, their faces a mix of shock and—somehow—acceptance.

Like, yeah. Of course it's like this. That's just how it is with monsters like him.

Loki looked around, clearly satisfied with everyone's reactions, but she still turned back to Ryota.

"So? Want me to level you up now?"

Ryota gave a soft "mm."

Honestly, he didn't care much about the level itself.

Most of his power came from his eyes and his... let's call them "external plugins."

Even at Level 2, he could take down Ottar. He could kill a Floor Boss.

But he also understood—

In this world, you play by its rules.

In Orario, levels aren't just numbers. They're tiers of existence.

The number of high-level Adventurers in a Familia is the single biggest measure of strength.

Even just the title makes a difference.

It affects morale, intimidation, War Games—it all matters.

Ryota understood that better than anyone.

With his response, Loki perked up and got to work, her fingers quickly tracing over Ryota's back.

Click!

The sound of a completed level-up echoed. Loki clapped her hands, ready to ask which Development Abilities he wanted.

But then—

CLACKCLACKCLACKCLACK—!!

The numbers, which had already stopped, suddenly started rolling again!

"...Eh?"

Loki's hand froze midair, staring dumbfounded at the swirling lights on Ryota's back.

"Wait, wait—this isn't normal!!"

Click!

Finn immediately realized something was wrong and stepped forward.

"Loki! What's going on?!"

But Loki was practically petrified, staring at the glowing Falna.

Her eyes weren't teasing anymore. They weren't curious, or shocked, or gossiping.

They were filled with something pure and unfiltered—

A divine sense of awe.

Her voice came out from deep in her throat, so quiet it was barely audible.

"Consecutive... Consecutive rank up!!"

BOOM—!

The moment the words dropped, everyone's minds collectively exploded.

A wave of pressure shot from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads.

It felt like hearing news of a god's death—or that someone had just defied fate itself.

Consecutive rank up.

Those words hit harder than any magic spell.

This wasn't just a normal level-up.

It meant—ascending two levels at once.

Everyone's faces froze in place.

Even the Big Three, who'd seen countless miracles, looked like they'd witnessed something that shouldn't exist.

In the original story, only one person had ever done it.

Ryuu Lion.

She'd spent five whole years, fighting one life-or-death battle after another, accumulating the kind of Excelia that even gods mourned.

Eventually, she broke her limit in a single update, leaping from Level 4 to Level 6.

But right now...

Astraea hadn't even returned yet. Ryuu was still stuck at Level 4.

That miracle? It hadn't happened.

So at this moment—

Consecutive rank up shouldn't exist.

And yet—it happened. To Ryota.

While everyone was still frozen in shock, Ryota, still lying on the sofa, suddenly spoke.

"Eh?"

"So this is... Consecutive rank up?"

"Guess it's easier than I thought."

As soon as he said that, the whole room collectively face-faulted.

Loki was the only one who managed to keep moving, though her heart was still pounding. She quickly continued the level-up process.

"Phew... Kid, you're not giving me surprises anymore. You're giving me heart attacks!"

"But I'm happy. Our Familia just got another Level 4."

She leaned closer.

"Other than the Fist Fighter, Crush, Blacksmith, and Magic Resistance, you've unlocked two new ones—Swordsman and Spirit Healing."

"Which do you want?"

"Blacksmith and Swordsman."

Loki shot him a look, as if she'd expected that.

"So you're picking Blacksmith, huh? Guess that means you'll vanish for days again."

"Looks like I'd better set up a forge for you soon. That damn midget's always sneaking off to Hephaestus Familia anyway."

She got back to work.

A moment later, she unrolled a fresh parchment, and everyone immediately crowded around to look.

[Name]: Ryota

[Level]: LV.4

[Status]:

· Strength: SSS1999 → i0

· Endurance: SSS1999 → i0

· Dexterity: SSS1999 → i0

· Agility: SSS1999 → i0

· Magic: SSS1999 → i0

[Development Abilities]: Mystery G, Blacksmith I, Swordsman I

[Magic]: (Omitted)

[Skills]: (Omitted)

Such an overpowered sheet left everyone shaking their heads, not even knowing what expression to make anymore.

"Alright, alright, break it up! Everyone disperse!"

"Consecutive rank up can cause side effects—Ais, Lefiya, you two go rest too."

"The day after tomorrow is the War Game!"

Soon, the huge lounge was empty, leaving just Ryota and Loki.

Watching him still staring off into space, Loki grinned.

"Don't worry. I've got some confidence in this siege battle. It's just breaking down a door, right?"

Ryota smiled faintly but said nothing.

For some reason, his mind flashed to that green-haired elf at The Hostess of Fertility—the one who had bought him a drink.

Ryuu Lion.

At the same time, at the very top of Babel Tower—

Freya stood silently, gazing toward Twilight Manor.

Behind her, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed softly.